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Tag: National Emergency Management Agency

NEMA activates emergency response for Yuletide season

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has activated its emergency response operations to provide quick responses to emergencies during the yuletide season and beyond.

The Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mrs. Zubaida Umar, disclosed this in Abuja on Saturday at the end of a fitness exercise by staff of the Agency.

The exercise, which featured a walk of about five kilometres, was aimed at promoting physical fitness, teamwork, and preparedness among staff in line with the Agency’s mandate as a frontline emergency coordination agency.

The DG, in a statement by the Spokesperson of the Agency, Manzo Ezekiel, explained that physical readiness was critical to effective emergency response, especially during periods of heightened human and vehicular activities.

She assured Nigerians that NEMA had activated its preparedness mechanisms nationwide and is working in close coordination with relevant stakeholders, including security agencies, emergency responders, and other critical agencies, to ensure rapid response to any emergency during the festive period.

Umar urged members of the public to remain safety-conscious throughout the celebrations, advising motorists to avoid speeding, adhere to traffic regulations, and exercise caution on the roads and waterways, at public gatherings, and in residential areas.

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She further reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to the protection of lives and property, emphasising that the Agency remains on standby across its zonal, territorial, and state operations offices to facilitate a timely response to emergencies that may arise during the yuletide season and in the days ahead.

The Director of Search and Rescue at NEMA, Air Commodore Bature Usman, explained that the fitness exercise was a routine activity designed to keep personnel physically and mentally prepared for emergency response operations at all times.

The exercise featured the participation of the Nigerian Armed Forces, the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

December 14, 2025
Sokoto boat mishap: 25 missing, 25 rescued as NEMA continues operation

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has confirmed the rescue of 15 more persons in the ongoing operations following the boat mishap in Kojiyo village, Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

This brings the total number of persons rescued to 25 while 25 others remain unaccounted for.

The ill-fated canoe, which was carrying about 50 passengers to Goronyo market, capsized in Kojiyo village on Sunday.

The Director General of NEMA, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, has also assured that rescue operations will be sustained and intensified until all missing persons are rescued.

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Initial operations led to the rescue of 10 passengers, while the intensified efforts yielded an additional 15 rescues. Authorities also recovered seven motorcycles from the river.

To enhance the effectiveness of the operation, the management of Goronyo Dam has temporarily closed the dam for two days, to allow divers and rescuers access to the affected area.

According to NEMA, its rescue team, led by Mr. Aliyu Shehu Kafindangi, Head of the Agency’s Sokoto Operations Office will remain at the scene.

The team is working in collaboration with the Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Goronyo Local Government Authority, and local divers to sustain the coordinated search and rescue operations.

The DG reaffirmed NEMA’s commitment to saving lives, supporting affected families, and providing timely updates to the public.

August 18, 2025
15 LGAs risk flooding in Rivers
- 30 states at risk curve, says NEMA
The Head of Operations, Port Harcourt Zonal Office of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Eric Ebhodaghe, has said that 15 local government areas in Rivers State are likely to be flooded this year.

Ebhodaghe disclosed this at the quarterly briefing with Journalists Against Disaster (JAD) yesterday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

He stated that following the prediction, serious meetings have been going on between the agency and other critical stakeholders of government to fashion out ways to reduce the impacts and possibly forestall human and material losses.

“In Rivers State, we have identified communities within the LGAs, at high risk of being flooded this season.

“Looking at the situation record, there are about 15 LGAs affected, and within the LGAs, we have identified 15 viable IDP camps.

“There could hardly be pockets of IDP camps within the LGAs, but we are talking about the camps that can take up to 2000-3000 people and better positioned for the services.

“NEMA board and management have started interfacing with the leadership of governments, from the federal to state and local government levels,” Ebhodaghe said.

The Nigerian Metrological Institute (NIMET) had earlier predicted that at least 30 of the 36 States of Nigeria, including Rivers and Bayelsa, are on high risk curve of flooding areas this year.

Read Also: Ogun residents lament flooding as man drowns in canal

NEMA Port Harcourt operations is comprised of Rivers and Bayelsa

It is no longer news that the two States in NEMA Port Harcourt operations are heavily impacted in every flooding year, apparently because they are situated along the coastal line.

Speaking on the Agency’s level of preparation to fight the natural disaster when it comes, Ebhodaghe explained that “as an agency working to reduce the impact of flooding on the people, we sensitise and work to ensure less economic damages and maintain safety of lives.

“We have always had a holistic programme when it comes to disaster management, and again flooding in particular. We usually analyse the prediction itself and do downscaling.
April 19, 2025
Centre showers encomium on NEMA DG, Maihaja over high transparency in procurement issues

The Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency, CESJET, has showered encomiums on the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Mustapha Yunusa Maihaja, for strengthening of procurement practice and processes in the interest of improving the wellbeing of Nigeria.

The centre gave NEMA pat on the back for its strict compliance with the Treasury Single Account (TSA) in compliance with the directive of the Federal Government.

CESJET gave the commendations through its Executive Secretary, Isaac Ikpa, at a press conference on Monday in Abuja.

The centre urged the agency not to be distracted by some elements who are hell bent of rubbishing its efforts.

Full text of his speech below.

Gentlemen of the press, the Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency (CESJET) is invited you to this press briefing in order to draw attention to the things that some government agencies are getting right for the benefit of the government and people of Nigeria by those that can be appropriately termed as people desirous of seeing the emergence of a new Federal Republic of Nigeria.

In specific terms, our focus is on the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), where the Director General, Engineer Mustapha Yunusa Maihaja has made members of the public to realize that there is hope for the country. In this sense, we are not talking in terms of hope by way of coming out of traumatic disasters or crises with the guarantee of receiving relief materials for rebuilding livelihood but we are referring to assurance that Nigeria still has men of integrity, who can run government agencies to meet global benchmarks.

CESJET is holding this accountability press briefing to intimate Nigerians with the outcome of its appraisal of the extent of transparency and best practices that have taken hold at NEMA under Engineer Mustapha Maihaja as Director General. Because we are resolved to have brevity in the course of this interaction we can simply executively summarize our finding by saying the NEMA DG has ensured transparency and accountability are at the highest level the agency under his supervision.

We have worked with several partner NGOs in tracking the procurement processes and safeguards that have been implemented in NEMA. The processes are benchmarked against extant procurement legislation of the country and the provisions set out by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP). We have in addition taken steps to routinely and discreetly track the companies that participate in the bid processes, which in addition to our understanding that the nation’s anti-graft institutions routinely watch-list those that are directly and indirectly involved in procurement matters in government agencies and offices.

Let us point out that this tracking is something that CESJET and its partners have consistently and dedicatedly done now for the past five consecutive years. From our monitoring along the stated benchmarks, we confidently report that there has been no time that the anti-corruption agencies have been able to find anything untoward in NEMA’s procurement under the stewardship of Engineer Maihaja – any incident recorded by these agencies pre-dated his coming on board and represent the contrast between the accountability he has come to entrench versus the situation he inherited upon resumption of office.

Only contractors with all registration certificates and those that meet the standard benchmark are accredited and allowed to progress in qualifying to get contracts.

We have also found that NEMA’s procurement process deliberately weed out companies that have not shown track record of transparency in the conduct of its business. It is not surprising to see companies being dropped from executing projects for the agencies because it submitted misleading or unverifiable information.

We have been made to realize that this is to ensure that frauds are prevented before they occur. We have confirmed that this is yielding positive results in blocking leakages.

Another thing of interest we found in NEMA is the strict compliance with the Treasury Single Account (TSA) in compliance with the directive of the Federal Government. While NEMA is not a revenue generating agency, its use of TSA reveals a culture of making refunds for unexpended cash releases and full declaration of donor funds, donations and support.

This is a practice that should find replication in other agencies.

Gentlemen of the press, permit us to point out that in the course of the five years we have been tracking NEMA, we have watched the inventory process evolved into something better than it was at inception.

Ordinarily, inventory on the scale kept by NEMA should be a nightmarish assignment but Engineer Maihaja’s team has brought such finesse to the process that we now see efficiency on a scale that did not exist before. This has translated into a faster response time and less discomfort for those that are in need of emergency intervention.

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NEMA has also implemented measures that ensure unscrupulous elements do not abuse materials meant for the needy. It has eliminated the practice where impostors collect materials meant for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The biometric registration of affected persons that made this possible can best be described as an externalization of the transparent practices that are now the hallmark of NEMA. It is another of Maihaja’s unfolding legacy that must be sustained.

In our view, what NEMA has achieved under Maihaja is to positively weaponize transparency as a tool for fighting corruption. We strongly recommend the approach to the Federal Government since it saves the country from the torturous process of chasing treasury looters or the ardours task of recovering funds when they have been stolen.

We therefore commend the current leadership of NEMA for diligently doing their work and going the additional mile of showing the country how to entrench transparency.

CESJET however charges the management of NEMA to address any identified drawbacks since these could be used as justifications by those that are interested in bringing back corruption.

For instance, the painstaking inventory is being blamed by some critics as the reason for occasional delay in getting succour to affected persons when this is in reality not the case. They had used such lies to claim that food items expire in storage. It is therefore pertinent that the organization is able to further refine the process to complete eradicate the ability of detractors to make such spurious claims.

We further charge agency to take the necessary steps to institutionalize these remarkable changes so that NEMA remains a shinny example of what Nigeria should be.

September 26, 2019
Flood wreaks havoc in Calabar

Residents of Calabar, the Cross River State capital, are counting their losses following a two-day rainfall that caused flooding in many parts of the city.

The rain, which fell steadily since Wednesday morning until Thursday, flooded homes leaving many stranded.

Fortunately no life has been reported lost.

Among areas worst hit was the Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH) Staff Quarters where the residents urged the government to intervene in the perennial problem.

Other areas affected by the problem in Calabar South include Target, Ebito, Atu, Musaha, Murray, Nelson Mandela, Yellow Duke Streets and even farmlands at Anantigha.

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In Calabar Municipality affected areas include Asari Eso, Akai Effa, Essien Town, Murtalla Mohammed Highway, State Housing Estate, Efio-Ette junction, Parliamentary Extension among others.

Though Calabar has the advantage that the water goes down soon after the rain stops, residents still lost property worth millions of naira and have begged the government to ensure something is done to permanently check the problem.

Director General of the State Emergency Management Agency, Ayim Princewill, urged those living in the flood prone areas to move to higher grounds.

He said the government is working towards preventing such occurrences.

He said they had contacted the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to get relief materials and are working towards alleviating the plight of those affected.

“We can’t fight nature but only apply mitigation measures to handle the situation, he said.

July 4, 2019
Flood alert: Weak SEMAs a huge challenge, NEMA laments

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has lamented poorly funded emergency management agencies at the state level constitute a huge challenge to its effort to prevent emergency situations, including flooding.

The Head of Operations of NEMA at the Yola Operations Office, Abani Garki, gave the indication at a stakeholders consultative meeting in Yola where the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) reiterated a warning that 74 local government areas (LGAs) across the states of the federation would be highly probable to be affected by flooding this year, while 279 others fall under ‘probable flood risk LGAs.’

“Absence of strong and well-founded SEMAs in most states make things difficult for NEMA as situations that should be handled by SEMA are left for NEMA which gets weighed down by manpower and technical challenges,” Abani Garki said.

NEMA, which is a federal government agency, is supposed to be complemented by State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) ideally created and funded by each state government as well as Local Emergency Management Agency (LEMA) expected to be owned and managed by respective LGAs but the NEMA Yola office coordinator expressed the regret that while SEMAs were characteristically incapacitated by poor funding, LEMA does not exist in most LGAs.

The Stakeholders Consultative Meeting in Yola, which was meant for agencies and NGOs with related crisis-mitigating mandates to rob minds, featured the acting Zonal Coordinator of the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), Aliyu Muhammed, who reminded the meeting of the LGAs likely to be affected by flooding as the rainy season deepens.

A study of the ‘Annual Flood Outlook 2019’ prepared by NIHSA which Aliyu Muhammed provided, indicates that in Adamawa State, Guyuk and Lamurde are ‘highly probable flood risk LGAs’ while Demsa, Fufore, Gombi, Numan, Shelleng, Yola North, and Yola South fall in the category of ‘probable flood risk LGAs.’

The Minister of Water Resources, Engr Suleiman Adamu, who wrote the Forward to the Annual Flood Outlook 2019, says that in the seven years of NIHSA predicting probability of flood events, “the level of accuracy of the forecast has improved significantly.”

He added that the flood level of 2018 was similar to that of 2012, but that improved monitoring and heightened awareness created by NIHSA reduced the devastation of flooding in 2018, and advised that the 2019 flood alert should be accorded the required attention.

Akwa Ibom, Delta, Imo, Jigawa, Kano, Lagos, Osun, Oyo, Rivers and Sokoto are the states with at least 10 LGAs to be affected by highly probable or probable flood risk this year, according to NIHSA’s Annual Flood Outlook.

May 10, 2019
Ibadan tanker fire: NEMA pledges support to victims

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has assured the victims of the Ibadan tanker fire accident that the Federal Government will provide intervention to help them bounce back.

This is coming even as the Oyo State Emergency Management Agency (Oyo SEMA) promised to carry out thorough fumigation of the accident scene as well as total evacuation of the relics of the fire before the end of next week.

Recall that on Thursday, a 33,000 litre fuel laden tanker fell on the Sawmill bridge of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, spilling all its content.

In the ensuing inferno, atleast three persons were confirmed dead while three vehicles and about ten motorcycles were burnt to ashes.

Nearby kiosks and shops with goods worth millions of naira were also torched in the inferno at the Onipepeye axis, under the Sawmill bridge.

The Acting Director General, NEMA, Air Commodore Akugbe Iyanmu speaking during an on the spot assessment of the accident scene lamented the rising case of fire accident which he said had led to avoidable deaths of innocent citizens.

Accompanied by NEMA Zonal Coordinator, the State Director, Oyo State Emergency Management Agency, Director, Oyo State Fire Service, the NEMA boss assures that the victims, as Nigerians deserve the support from the government through the agency.

He said, “We were informed of the incident by our Zonal Coordinator and we also read about it in the news and what the DG emphasised is that anywhere the Nigerian life is threatened and needs humanitarian support, we have to be there.

“So, he directed that we move here immediately to see the extent of the crisis, the people affected, the victims and see how the agency can respond.

“Assessing the needs of the victims now will be premature, there are relevant agencies including fire service and state emergency agency among others involved, they all will come up with their reports, then we will all put heads together and look at it because it is becoming too frequent and the lives of our brothers and sisters are been lost in avoidable deaths.

So, we really have to give maximum attention to it.

“As we await the reports from the zone, I can assure you that the intervention will come as soon as possible. In fact, if we can get the reports today, we will intervene today, but we will have to wait for the normal procedures to be followed.

“As you are aware, disaster management and humanitarian intervention are procedural, so we just wait for the reports so that we will verify so that intervention will not go to the person that was not affected.

“The DG always emphasis that the intervention must always get to the real victims and that is what we want to do and we have to be careful. The National Emergency Management Agency is for Nigerians and all the victims of the fire incident are Nigerians and there is no way they won’t get intervention.”

Speaking, the Executive Secretary, Oyo State Emergency Management Agency, Mr Akin Makinde noted that there was no need of cordoning the affected areas, “as you can see, life has returned to this place and every other thing will be done.

“Fumigation of this place will be carried out during the week, and the evacuation of the burnt vehicles will also be done without much delay.

“What we were waiting for was for the national body to come and assess what had happened. And as you can see, they have come.

“What we would need to do is to collaborate more with NEMA to sensitise our people. During the course of that fire, the fire services men were here, it took them 45 minutes to access the venue of that incident. They were barricaded from going into that scene.

“If they had allowed the fire services men access to the scene, it wouldn’t have escalated to this point. But we will continue to enlighten our people.”

Confirming the situation, Director, Oyo State Fire Service, Mr Paul Oyerele said despite the service mobilising his men from both the nearest Gbagi station as well as from the state headquarters as soon as it got the distress call, the hardship they suffered led to the high rate of casualties.

Oyerele said, “When our men got there from Gbagi, which is the nearest station, and the reinforcement from the head office, sent to complement their efforts, just to make sure we minimise the effect of the inferno but when Gbagi team got there, there were a lot of people who prevented our men from getting to work on time.

“There were lots of people who gathered round and blocked their way, and before they could manoeuvre to get to the scene of the incident, few moments after that, the inferno broke out.

“My advice to the people is that firemen are friends of the citizenry and the masses, anytime they see us, they should allow our men to work, they should pave the way for our men and give us right of way to accident scene, so that we can get there on time and take preventive measures, so that incident like this, could be avoided in the future.

“In fact, on some occasions people are so hostile that they start stoning our people for no just reason. It has been like that and it is not the best for us and for the entire citizenry.”

April 20, 2019
Flooding: Shaibu assures of conducive resettlement camps for Edo residents

The Edo State Acting Governor, Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu, has assured of conducive resettlement camps for residents of the state in flood-prone areas, as part of proactive measures to mitigate the impact of flash floods as predicted by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet).

Shaibu gave the assurance when he visited the Internally Displaced Persons’ camp at Ekperi in Auchi, Etsako West Local Government Area, Edo State.

NiMet predicted the possibility of isolated flash floods due to high-intensity rainfall at the peak of the season, especially in places that are naturally prone to flooding.

The acting governor said the visit to the camp was part of the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration’s proactive measures to prevent a reoccurrence of last year’s experience when residents in some part of the state were displaced by flooding.

He noted, “As the rainy season approaches, there is a need for the Edo State Government to put modalities in place in order to safeguard the life and property in Edo State.”

Shaibu assured that adequate arrangements have been put in place to ensure a conducive environment for persons who will be camped at the facility when the need arises as the state government anticipates heavy downpour.

He urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to collaborate with the state government in sustaining the proactive measures and work to ensure that the impact of the floods is limited.

During a visit to Illushi, a community on the bank of the River Niger in Esan South East LGA, the acting governor said there is urgent need to prepare ahead of time and watch out for early warnings signs, as the rains approach.

April 5, 2019
Reps to investigate Kaduna Killings

The House of Representatives is to investigate the remote and immediate causes of incessant killings in southern part of Kaduna State.

Worried by the spate of killings in the area, security agencies have been urged to intensify efforts at stopping the deadly attacks and ensure that peace return to the area.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has also been asked to urgently provide the affected communities with relief materials to alleviate their sufferings.

This followed the adoption of a motion by Yakubu Barde (Kaduna), who regretted relevant authorities have failed to bring the situation under control.

Saying activities of armed bandits have taken a strange dimension in the area, he noted, “Recall that a motion was moved on the floor of this honourable House to that effect, calling on the security agencies to leave no stone unturned until the perpetrators of the crime were fished out and made to face the law.

“Though, it was reported in the media that the suspects were thereafter apprehended however, nothing has been heard since then about the prosecution of the suspects.

“Between the months of February and this month, over hundreds of lives have been lost with properties worth millions of naira destroyed as well as several families displaced and rendered homeless.

“These attacks and killings have become a daily activity. On Sunday the 10th of February, 2019; Ungwan Barde village was attacked leaving 11 persons dead.

“On Tuesday 26th of February, 2019, Karamai village was attacked and 40 people were killed with over 100 houses burnt down.

“Between Sunday the 10th and Wednesday 13th of March, 2019; in Ungwan Barde, Inkirimi, Dogon Noman, Ungwan Gora and Kyamara villages, over 90 people were killed with several people injured and houses burnt down.

“This has been the trend until few days ago when state government imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew on the area.

“Despite the outcry of the people no significant efforts have been made to bring the situation under control as pockets of killings are still going on in the area.

“It will surprise you to know that up to this moment as I speak no arrest of these killers have been made by the security agents, rather over 50 armless youths and opinion leaders of Adara extraction are being reminded in prison without due process of the law for over a month now”.

The relevant Committees of the House mandated to carry out the investigation are expected to proffer enduring solutions to the crises.

The motion was unanimously adopted after a voice vote.

March 19, 2019
Victims of Niger market fire get relief materials

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has distributed relief materials worth millions of naira to about 862 victims of Minna and Bida market fire disasters.

The Bida and Minna fire disasters occurred in February 2018 and January 2019 where traders lost millions to the fire incidents.

The relief materials distributed include roofing sheets, cements, ceiling boards and nails.

The flag off distribution for Bida market fire was done in Bida local government area while the relief materials for Minna market fire were distributed to the victims at the Abdulkadir Kure ultra- modern market Minna.

READ ALSO: NEMA distributes materials to bandit attack victims in Kwara

The NEMA Head of Operation in Charge of Niger and Kwara, Mrs. Lydia Wagami, said the federal government was concerned on the effect of the fire to the government the people which is the reason for the relief materials.

“The relief materials show the Federal government is concerned about the plight of the shop owners who lost their goods, hence government provides relief materials to cushion the effects of the disaster,” she said.

The Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, Etsu Nupe, who received the relief materials on behalf of the victims for distribution, commended the gesture and called on government to support the victims with cash as capital for their businesses.

He added that the government has planned to reconstruct the market to make it more befitting for business activities to strive.

The victims whose shops were burnt down in the Minna Market during the distribution appreciated the federal government for the gesture.

They said it will go a long way to help them in getting their business up.

One of the most affected victims, Mr. Chima Sylva, thanked the federal government for the relief materials and said that the gesture will assist him to roof his shops that were burnt.

Malam Mustapha Mohammed commended the Federal government and said that the intervention would cushion the effects of the disaster.

March 13, 2019